The 19-year-old remand prisoner held in Avlona prison on charges of murdering 21-year-old student Eleni Topaloudi on the island of Rhodes was attacked by other inmates but not raped, based on the findings of a forensic medical examination, Justice Minister Michalis Kalogirou said on Wednesday.
He said a police investigation into the beating of the 19-year-old by fellow inmates was underway and an investigation by a public prosecutor had been ordered.
The minister also unequivocally condemned "all acts of violence committed by any party and for whatever reason, even more so when this happens in prison, in an area governed by rules and where there must be conditions of safety for everyone."
"There is no place for such incidents in a state governed by the rule of law. This is the reason why we legislated for the cumulative serving of sentences imposed for crimes of violence in prisons," he added.
Kalogirou noted that clear instructions had been given to prison authorities in Avlona to take steps to protect the 19-year-old remand prisoner, who had been placed in a cell on his own, in an area separate from the rest of the prison population so that he would not come into contact with other prisoners. In spite of the precautions, however, prisoners succeeded in breaking through three doors in order to reach him and attacked him both verbally and physically.
Following the attack, there was both an ordinary medical and a forensic medical examination, which revealed no signs that he had been raped, the minister said. He noted that an investigation was underway to discover how the incident had occurred and whether disciplinary action should be taken against prison staff.
"For reasons of protection of the prisoner, a decision was made to transfer him to another prison," Kalogirou said.